Why Tomatoes Are Red

Millions of years ago a meteor slammed into the earth, wiping out the dinosaurs—but that’s not all. According to new research published in Nature (via Phys.org), the impact and subsequent solar eclipse also created stressful conditions for the original tomato plant, causing it to triple in size and eventually bear red fruit. No matter what color they turned out to be, we're thankful that tomatoes endured the dire conditions on earth for the sake of pizza, BLTs and these Tomato-and-Cilantro-Marinated Chicken Shashlik kebabs. The supersimple marinade combines tangy grated tomatoes with garlic, olive oil and cilantro.